


Living Well is The Best Revenge

by Maleficent265



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Comedy, Drunk Kissing, Drunkenness, F/M, Language, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 22:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6169945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maleficent265/pseuds/Maleficent265
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Harrison gets drunk dialed in the middle of the night by none other than Caitlin Snow, he finds himself sacrificing a decent nights sleep in order to pick her up from a house party gone wrong…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just something silly I wanted to do... I hope you like it. And hopefully I got all the mistakes. :)
> 
> Enjoy and don't forget to comment for my benefit. :)

He was going to kill him for this… He was going to hunt him down and Reverse-Flash his ass.

It took about three slams of his hand before Harrison found his phone on the nightstand between he and Jesse’s bed. And as luck would have it, he was all thumbs when he’d been brought out of a dead sleep by the violent vibrations of a mobile device and quickly dropped it on the ground before dragging his upper body halfway off the bed to blindly grope for the still buzzing ringer. With a growl and few muttered curses, his fingers finally brushed across the phone - the _zirrt_ pulling him closer to consciousness as he picked it up and rolled onto his back.

Harrison’s phone consisted of precisely _four_ contacts… And he was fairly certain which one of them would bother waking him up in the middle of the night for some dumbass reason. Cisco Ramon, who he still intended to murder once the call was through, was on the other end.

 _“If this isn’t important…”_ Came his sluggish growl. _“I’m going to skin you alive with a cheese grater.”_

Call him a grump but he was exhausted and phone calls at 2:37 AM didn’t do his already pissy personality any favors.

It was quiet for a very long time and he was beginning to wonder if he’d answered the phone at all… Or maybe he and Ramon had just been disconnected. Perhaps Cisco had fallen asleep with his cell somewhere in the bed and had accidentally called him. But then…

“Define important.” It wasn’t Cisco.

Harrison’s eyes shot open before glancing through the darkness to make sure Jesse was still in bed… The bump of her body tucked underneath the covers quickly formed beneath his vision. The voice was definitely female, but it wasn’t Jesse’s. So…

“Snow.” He whispered, his tone still roughened by sleep. _“What?”_  


“Sorry, I just…” She started. “Did I wake you?”  


He scoffed. Of course she did...

 _“Sorry.”_ She repeated. “I know you told us not to call you unless there was an emergency but-”  


“Is this an emergency?”  


“Well, no.” She fell silent and he frowned. “Yes, actually… There was this-I’m stranded at a party with a bunch of people I don’t know.”  


“So…?”  


“So, if it’s not too much trouble, I was hoping you could come get me. _Maybe?”_  


“You have a car.” He snarled before rubbing the residue of sleep away from his eyes. The phone was silent again, causing Harrison to purse his lips and stare at the dark ceiling of his room. 

“I can’t drive.”She said the words so fast that it took him a moment to process her meaning. 

“Are you drunk?”

“A little.” She snorted. “I think… I can’t tell.”  


“If you can’t tell, then you’re drunk, Snow.” He huffed. “Why do I have to do it? Why didn’t you call Allen… Or Ramon?”

“Cisco didn’t answer and Barry…” Her reply fell short. Harrison couldn’t see her, but judging by her tone, he could tell she was probably chewing on her lower lip. “Barry’s been a little distracted since… You know. Earth-2.”

_So have you…_

His eyes drifted to a close and he pushed a hard breath through his nostrils. “You don’t know any of the people you’re with?”

“Kind of. But um, not really.”

“Where are you?”  


“4598 Harper Hill Drive.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes. And, Snow…?” He paused for a moment to pull himself upright and swing his legs over the bed. “Quit drinking and wait outside.”  


…

There were two things Harrison learned about Caitlin Snow by the time he pulled into the driveway of 4598 Harper Hill Drive... The first thing was that she didn’t follow instructions very well because she wasn’t anywhere to be seen which probably meant she was still somewhere in the house. The second, was her inability to answer her cell phone during late night, alcohol-centric situations...

Pressing his phone to his ear, he squinted at the house as rain continued spattering against the windshield of his car. He’d been calling Caitlin for the last ten minutes to let her know he was getting close - make sure she was ready to jump in the car so he could take her home and get the fuck back to bed but once more, she didn’t answer and it had him on edge. Slinging his phone into the passenger’s seat, he kicked his door open and stepped into the rain, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and a black, V-neck tee that he’d found in a pile at the end of his bed. It was cold and in hindsight, he probably should have brought a jacket, especially now that he felt goosebumps prickling at his skin.

There were about twenty cars parked on the street and in the front lawn - as many as they could fit in the yard... It was dark and cloudy but even through the obscure view the weather had provided, he could see the house perfectly fine with it being lit up like Tokyo. Beneath the pad of the rain, he could hear the dull thrum of bass as it wrapped around him and vibrated up his spine, indicating someone liked their music cranked up somewhere between loud and earsplitting. He huffed and started for the front with his teeth grinding against the grating sound of dubstep as it knocked around inside his skull.

By the time he reached the door, he was pissed off and keyed-up and didn’t bother knocking... He wasn’t sure if anyone would have heard if he tried. He stepped inside and felt the sensation of the music vibrate through him, the smell of beer and vodka assaulted his nostrils and burned through his lungs as he inhaled, and the strobes blinking at the top of the stairs threatened to give him a migraine worth fearing. It didn’t help his nerves any after everyone within reach stopped and stared like their fucking father had just came through the front door to bust up their fun... If anyone could even categorize this as _fun_.

Ripping himself away from the door, he stalked into the house, scanning over the crowd of countless hormonal college students in search of Snow but she was nowhere to be seen. He was all but rubbernecking and whipping his head in every direction as he walked down the hall and passed the living room, trying to ignore the shouts and hollers of kids trying to flirt with each other over the music. Once Harrison found himself in the kitchen, he’d realized he’d reached the end of the house and Caitlin was either no longer here, or she was on the second floor.

Pinching his lids closed in irritation, Harrison set his jaw and started back for the front door where he’d seen stairs... On the bright side, the second floor of the house was normally lit, quieter, and less crowded. But on the downside... There were couples in the bedrooms, making out or grinding against one another like rabbits. If Caitlin was truly drunk, she’d be in trouble if she was up here. And sure enough... He heard an airy giggle that sounded all too familiar from somewhere down the hall and quickly made to close in on the sound.

Harry stepped into the bedroom at the very end of the hallway to find Caitlin pushed up against the closet door with some dumb fuck sucking purple bruises against her neck. And that was all it took... Harrison all but floated across the room and ripped whoever it was away from Caitlin who seemed content to get marked up by a total stranger. Still bracing herself against the door, her glassy eyes fluttered open and locked onto his blue stare.

“Harry-Beary!” She beamed before throwing herself forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. “You came!”  


“You _called_ me.” He gnarred in response.  


“What the fuck?” The kid, who Harrison still had a firm grip on, shrugged away from his clutch and growled, “You called your _dad_?!”

Harrison had to keep himself from cringing at his assumption... He wasn’t her father even though in this moment he felt like it. Everyone in the house was a good twenty years younger and horny as rodents... This just wasn’t his scene and from the glances he got when he came through the front door, everyone could tell he was out of place.

“He’s not my dad.” She slurred, still hanging on him with one arm while angling her body around to look at her former make-out partner. “He’s my _boss_. Used to be... But then he died.” She waggled her eyebrows and giggled. “I mean... _Oops_. No, he didn’t die. _Eobard_ died.”

“Okay... That’s enough.” Harry started while untangling himself from her arms. “Our relationship is irrelevant. All you need to know is that this - whatever you had in mind - it ends here.”

“Oh! But, Harry!” Caitlin whined as she bounced up and down of the balls of her feet. “Abe, here wanted to play a game. Do you want to play a game?”

_“No...”_  


“It sounded fun.” She closed her eyes to concentrate. “It was called um... _Oh!_ Dunk the donut!”

Harrison raised an eyebrow. “Snow... That’s a sex game.”

“Oh...”

Yeah. Fucking oh...

“That’s rude!” She slurred, trying to mask a giggle behind a screen of forced anger before rounding on Abe. “I told you I didn’t want to do anything _dirty_.”  


Abe scoffed. “You’re also lit and emotionally vulnerable so...”

And with that, Harrison reared his fist back and punched Abe in the nose hard enough to send him flying back and landing on the bed. The collision made his knuckles crack and bleed but from what he could tell, Abe was the one to suffer, what with him holding his face and screaming curses into the mattress.

Quickly pitching down, he wrapped a hand around Abe’s throat and growled, “So, I should cut off your balls."

“Dude!” He cried. “She’s not your _daughter.”_  


“How do you know she’s not my _wife?”_  


“If she’s your wife then you’re doing a shit job at taking care of her!” He snarked with blood still running out of his nose. “Told me about ten times she keeps getting hurt and needed to have a little fun. Sounded like an open invitation to me.”  


_“Do you want me to make you eat your own teeth?”_  


Abe glared and shook his head.

 _“Then shut up.”_ He seethed through clenched teeth before pushing off and lightly gripping Caitlin’s shoulder to guide her out of the room. “Let’s go.”  


Harrison’s expression had slanted into a firm resting-bitch-face after they hit the stairs... Caitlin was wearing one of those lacy dresses - black - thigh length and see through in the middle to show off her creamy midriff and by the time they’d searched the house for her heels and gotten her enough water to start diluting the alcohol, he’d all but torn the heads off of two other guys who tried making a grab for her ass before they were out the door.

It was close to 3:32 when he’d dumped her in the car. He was irate... He wanted to yell half because of how exhausted he was and half because of how stupid this entire situation had been. How could a _smart_ girl - a girl with a fucking bioengineering degree - not have an ounce of common sense? She could run circles around him with her cleverness but would forget to tie her laces and trip over herself at the exact same time. It didn’t make a lick of sense.

The car was silent for the first ten minutes which was surprising considering how chatty she’d been back at the house but he supposed she was winding down and settling into the very last phase of her drunkenness and just wanted to sleep but then, without warning, she jerked forward and tapped his radio dial. He flinched at the loud rap music blearing through the car and quickly punched the dial so hard that it got stuck in it’s slot.

“Hey!” She scolded. “I was listening to that!”  


Harrison set his jaw and shook his head... He was beginning to wish that it _had_ been Cisco who called him. It might have been an irritating conversation but he was sure he would have been tucked in his bed sleeping like a rock by now. But nope... It had to be _Caitlin_. Caitlin and her stupid house party and that damn kid wanting to play Dunk the Donut.

 _“You could have gotten pregnant.”_ He snarled. “Tonight you could have... You could have gotten _hurt_. Guys like that don’t care about _you_ or _themselves_. You’re drunk!” He barked. “Just because you say _no_ when you’re tanked; that doesn’t mean those pricks are going to take you seriously!”  


“Harry-”  


“So, lets say I didn’t show and you woke up in the morning with a hangover and some guy you didn’t know. _What then?_ How do you know Abe wasn’t there to drug you or kidnap you? Any of those assholes could have been traffickers, Snow. Or meta-humans... Would that have been worth it? Did you even tell anyone you were going out?!”  


“No but-”  


“So, you would have just disappeared and no one would even know where to start looking.” He shook his head again. “What were you _thinking?”_

“I just wanted to have fun.”  


_“Fun?!”_ Now he really did feel like her father. He jerked his stare in her direction to lay into her but thought better of it after getting a good look at her low-spirited expression... 

She’d just lost Jay and as much as he wanted to tell her what a poor excuse that was for going on a bender, he understood. He understood more than anyone. Right after he’d lost Jesse, he made some poor choices and started taking up questionable hobbies... He got through it, but he didn’t have anyone he could call at two o’clock in the morning to come to his rescue and at the time, that might have been enough to keep him grounded. 

“You know...” He started again, softer this time. “You have people who want to be there for you. Barry and Cisco... They love you. You don’t need to go out looking for questionable company. You’ve got them... _Me.”_  


Harrison pulled to a stop at the next red light and waited for her response. She was quiet - t _oo quiet_ \- and all his agitation and anxiety was starting to make that slow climb up his chest. He thought he might burst but he didn’t... He held his breath and tapped the steering wheel. He almost regretted giving himself over and letting her know she had a place to run if she needed to... Harrison wasn’t that type of guy and just wasn’t good at comfort but even if he felt the weight of remorse in his statement, he _meant_ it. Caitlin had done far more for him than what he could ever hope to repay. He owed her... He owed her so much.

“I don’t want to feel like this anymore.” She whispered. “I don’t want to feel like... Jay’s _gone_.” She bit her lip. “I don’t know what to do.”  


“Feel it.”  


_“What?”_  


“You have to _feel_ it, Snow. The pain.” He answered, looking directly at her. “If you keep it suppressed, you’re only hurting yourself. Tonight was a good example of that.”  


“I just didn’t want Zoom to think he won.” She shrugged. “He may have gotten a victory but I didn’t want give him another one by shutting out the world. He didn’t beat me. I didn’t want to give him that. He’s already taken so much and I just wanted to prove I was brave enough to put myself back out there.”

Harrison glanced at her...

“Living well is the best revenge, right?” She forced a sad smile and found him with her dark gaze.  


Nodding, a small smile twisted the corner of his mouth before he said, “Yes it is.”

The light turned green and before long they’d reached the lab... He was going to take her home but judging by her inebriation and despondency of Jay’s memory, he didn’t trust her enough to just toss her in her apartment and hope she’d make good decisions. The lab was her home away from home and if she was going to get lit and act like a teenager, she may as well do it there.

Harrison sloppily parked the car on the sidewalk before reaching for his handle to round the vehicle and help her out of the car but before he got the door open, Caitlin’s hands were wrapping around his bicep and pulling him back. The very second he turned to face her, she instantly pressed her lips to his which took him by surprise and caused him to flinch backwards and grip her shoulders to get away... He didn’t get far, what with the way her hands slid up his chest to wrap around the back of his neck and draw him closer; her fingers twisting against the hair at the base of his skull.

Harrison probably would have been less caught off guard if Caitlin had tried ripping back his fingernails but she didn’t... She kissed him. She actually _kissed_ him. And even though he stayed completely still - not daring to move his lips - he closed his eyes and breathed her in, letting the smell of alcohol and the scent of her lilac perfume yank him in like a riptide. She pulled back for a just a second to catch her breath before moving back in and working her lips over his closed mouth.

With one more lingering moment of contact, she pecked his top lip and shifted back just enough to look him in the eye; her fingers still locked around his head while her thumbs caressed his jaw...

Harrison looked at her and forced a frown even though his heart seemed to be beating against his chest like a sledgehammer... “Are you done?”

“One more.” She whispered, leaning in a little closer so that her lips were brushing his nose.  


“Snow...” He breathed. “You’re _drunk_.”  


“I’m not.” She giggled and shook her head. “Just one more.”  


He knew he was probably going to regret this in the morning but he couldn’t help it... Yes, she was drunk and yes, he was sober but her beauty had rendered him woefully under equipped to handle the situation; her little black dress, all lacy and tight as it rode up her things, her pretty big eyes and sleek curls, and that _kiss_... He was starting to wonder if he was the one who’d gotten drunk tonight.

“One more.” He agreed, praying she wouldn’t hold this against him in the morning. If only she wasn’t so breathtaking... Lifting his hand to her face, he pulled her forward and brushed his lips against her before whispering, _“One more.”_  


Caitlin’s nails lightly scraped over his scalp and then, she was kissing him again... He responded to her this time and pulled his other hand from her shoulder so it could drag a slow path up her neck before tilting his head and slanting his mouth against hers to get a real taste... Parting his lips, he quickly swiped the tip of his tongue over her mouth and groaned when she opened up and gripped his hair to get him closer. With her hands making a slow decent over his neck and shoulders, he was starting to realize he was in over his head... She was drunk but somehow she was the on taking advantage of _him_ and didn’t that just beat all...

 _“Harrison.”_ She breathed against his mouth before the pads of her fingers found the hem of his shirt and rucked it up to caress the hard lines of his waist. Before long, both of her hands were under his shirt, shoving it up and touching every inch of skin she could reach; nails digging into his chest and shoulders before sucking his bottom lip into her mouth.  


At that, he grabbed her wrists and pulled back... It was too much too soon. If she wasn’t drunk, she wouldn’t be kissing him; asking him questions about thesis studies or mathematical equations, maybe, but not kissing him. It wasn’t fair for either of them because this was all just one big mistake that was going to have consequences in the morning.

“We should go inside.”

Relenting his grip, he straightened his shirt and turned back toward the wheel, before taking a deep, uneven breath. He wasn’t looking at her anymore but he could hear Caitlin panting as she continued leaning across the armrest and staring at him.  


_“Harry?”_ She purred.  


He braved a glance in her direction to see her glassy eyes watching him like they were trying to swallow him whole.

“I don’t feel good.”  


He blinked, trying to understand her meaning... Was she already feeling guilty for kissing him? Was this about Jay? But then her face went white and... _Oh..._

Scrambling for the control pad on his door, Harrison quickly rolled down the passenger’s side window before launching himself across the armrest to grab a handful of hair and angle her toward the opening. She took a deep breath and then her gut lurched, causing Harrison to press a firm hand against her back. There was a brief series of dry-heaving before it all came out; the alcohol, the water, whatever she’d eaten at that party... He frowned at the realization that there was vomit running down the side of his car and if he hadn’t have put a stop to their kiss, it could have been in his mouth. 

Caitlin ran the sleeve of her dress over her mouth and pulled her head away from the window.

 _“Okay...?”_ He asked. She nodded and sat back and he took it as indication that he could untangle his hand from her mess of curls. Harrison opened his door and stepped outside, still getting hit with a light drizzle, before rounding the car to help her along. “We should get you to bed.”

Easier said than done... It took about three tries to get her out of the car, what with her being so drunk and unstable. She tripped, hiccuped and even dry-heaved a few more times before they had even gotten through the corridor. And by the time Harry got her to his bedroom, she was a giggling mess and hanging off his shoulders like an intoxicated monkey. He tried shushing her multiple times to keep her from waking his daughter but she couldn’t seem to stop the little teehees bubbling through her throat.

 _“Shut up!”_ he gruffed through a harsh whisper before turning his gaze on Jesse, who was beginning to shift in her sleep.  


“We have to be _quiet_.” She giggled and exaggeratedly placed her finger on his lips before shushing him. “I know that. Do _you_ know that?”

“Has anyone ever told you, you’re an annoying drunk?”  


“None that I recall.”  


“Probably because you’re too lit to remember the morning after.” He rolled his eyes and made his way through the darkness before sitting on his bed and pulling a trunk from underneath. 

Popping the top, he pitch over and began digging through an array of sweaters, cardigans, and tees until he found a dark long-sleeved shirt that seemed clean enough. He placed it on the bed and started searching for a pair of sweats but about the time he tried pulling them out of his trunk, he felt the mattress dip behind him. 

_“Snow.”_ he growled _._  


_“Wells.”_ She mocked before walking her fingers up his back.  


Harrison huffed and tossed back a pair of sweats. “Here... You can wear-”

 _Zirip..._ He blinked again, registering the zip of her dress and the rustling of fabric as she shimmied out of her clothes; the bed wiggling in the process. When the movement ended, he thought it was safe to assume she was either stark naked or lying on his bed in her underwear.

Well then...

His fingers found the shirt next to him and he quickly reached back and dropped it over her, trying very hard not to catch any sort of glimpse of her body. Caitlin sat up and awkwardly wormed her way through the sleeves but had ended up getting caught in the fabric and tapped Harrison’s shoulder. He craned his neck around to see her peeking at him though the neck-hole and quickly grunted...

“Need help?”  


“I think so.”  


Harry shifted his hips and turned to get a better angle... Much like a toddler, Caitlin lifted her arms straight in the air, allowing Harrison to untwist the fabric and pull the shirt over her head.

“Better?”  


She nodded. “Panties too?”  


“No-What?” He shook his head. “No. No pant... We’re going to leave your underwear _on_.”  


“Oh...” She fluffed her hair around her shoulders and smiled before gripping the edge of his t-shirt. “Your turn.”

He grabbed her hands and gently pushed them back in her lap... “I appreciate it but it would probably benefit all of us if I left my clothes on.”  


“Suit yourself...” She giggled.  


It was quiet again and Harrison found himself staring at her through the darkness; bare-legged and pretty as ever as she stared back wearing an over-sized shirt and snickering as if he’d just told her a joke. Caitlin was an unpredictable little thing... And if it wasn’t pushing 4:00 AM, Harrison might have found that charming.

“I’ll sleep in the cortex. _So...”_ His brows drew together before looking at her again. “Do you need anything?”  


“No. Just...” With a fabulous smile, Caitlin reached forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. _“Goodnight.”_

Harrison instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist and before long, he had a barely-there smile gracing his features. “Goodnight, Snow.”

She pulled back and kicked the sweats off the bed before climbing up toward the pillow. With a light bounce, she plopped back down and shifted herself until she was nestled beneath the covers. Once she was settled, Harrison got up and headed for the door but her voice caught him before he could make a successful escape.

 _“Harry?”_ She whispered.  


Placing his hand on the doorframe, Harrison turned back and squinted at her through the darkness. _“What?_  


“Thank you...” She giggled again. “Thanks for everything.”  


He snorted and smirked. “You’re welcome...”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Morning After...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a handful of people both on here and tumblr asking me to do the morning after and finally decided to do it... 
> 
> So here you go! A one shot that's suddenly not a one shot anymore! I hope it doesn't disappoint! Please let me know what you thought!

With his hand wrapped around the pot of coffee, Harrison thumbed at his tired eyes and blinked through his exhaustion before finally pouring the freshly brewed beverage into his mug and tipping back for that first swig without caring that it would more than likely scald his tongue. Coffee wasn’t exactly a miracle worker but it had a way of taking the edge off his temper, especially after he’d sacrificed a good two hours of his well-deserved night’s sleep to pick Caitlin up from some God-forsaken house party that was on the verge of turning into a gross mixture of a crack house and sex den, what with all the teens and college students who’d been running through that place, passing joints and whacking each other over the heads with blown up condoms that had been turned into fake swords. **  
**

_Fucking kids..._

Harrison scoffed and pinched his eyes shut before taking another sip from his mug and relishing in the feel as the bitter liquid warmed its way through his throat… Damn, he was way too tired and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh at Snow’s shenanigans or march back to his room, grab her by the hair, and rip her straight out of his bed so he could catch his own shut eye. He opted for neither of course… Because even if he was ready to fall flat on the first suitable surface and knock off like a bear settling down for hibernation, he was oddly content with how things had played out last night.

Sure, he’d slept in a hard chair and had woken up slumped over a desk with a line of saliva pooling around his face right before Cisco had charged in and barked some insipid complaint about Harrison getting drool all over his workspace. But there was something about being with Caitlin last night that had a strange bubble of elation puffing through his chest and he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Well, he _could_ put his finger on it actually… Or rather his _tongue._

Tipping his head back and being sure to keep his eyes shut, he replayed the image of Caitlin Snow’s gorgeous glassy eyes in the darkness of that car, the way she’d run her fingers through his hair and smoothed her hands up his chest, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to shake the memory of her lips after she’d graced him with a kiss that had his heart slamming against his ribs even hours after the fact. If it had been under different, less drunken circumstances, there was nothing on this earth that could have dragged him away but the fact of the matter was, Caitlin was downright _annihilated_. Even with her and her enticing _one-mores_ that left him teetering back and forth between dick moves and ethical decisions, Harrison had no other option than to pull back and send her ass to bed… _Alone_.

He deserved a fucking medal for that shit, what with Caitlin looking irresistible in her little black dress that was skin tight and lacy in all the right places and showing a _clear_ interest in touching every inch of his body. But that was probably the furthest thing from what she _actually_ wanted and probably the worst thing he could have done for her after she’d just come off a bender… Not to mention she’d recently lost Jay Garrick in a way that would be emotionally scarring for even the hardest of hearts.

But that _kiss_ … Even through the darkness of what had spurred it on, Harrison was actually… Well, he was actually _happy_.

Smiling to himself and doing everything in his power to quell the satisfying sensation settling in the lowermost part of his stomach, Harrison drew in a slow breath through his nostrils and puffed out a short huff that resembled a low chuckle… Caitlin was a silly little thing when she wanted to be and now that he’d had a few hours of rest and enough time to process exactly what had happened last night, he could actually appreciate her quirks. 

_“Gross…”_

A voice suddenly cut through the silence of the lab and instantaneously, Harrison’s eyes snapped open… It took about two seconds for his gaze to land on his daughter, who was up surprising early for _her_. And if the glare and dark circles under her eyes were anything to go off of, he wasn’t the only one who’d gotten a shit night’s sleep and he could guess Caitlin was the cause for both parties.

“Okay… Not that I’m not happy for you but…” Jesse started through a sleep-groggy voice before pursing her lips, which automatically caused Harrison’s shoulders to tense and his brows to buckle together. “Afterglow is not a look I’ve ever wanted to see on you… No offense.”

_“What?”_

“C’mon... Dad. It’s fine.” She bit, rolling her eyes and stepping forward to head for the coffee. “Just wake me next time you… _Ugh_.” She groaned. “Seriously, next time you and Caitlin get it on just let me know. I don’t wanna be anywhere near _that.”_

“What are you-”

“Look, I get you guys have…” Furrowing her brow, Jesse paused mid-reach for the coffee pot before doing some sort of strange gesture with her hands; motioning back and forth between her father and the direction of their shared bedroom. “Um… _Urges_. I guess. But just don’t do it when I’m sleeping in the next bed.”

With his mouth hanging wide open, Harrison shook his head and breathed out a raspy, “I… I don’t know what you think went on last night but I didn’t fuck…” His voice faltered a bit after seeing the way his daughter cringed away at the use of such a crass term. Clearing his throat, he tried, “We didn’t do _anything_. Okay? Sweetheart... I promise you, _nothing_ happened.”

 _“Right…”_ Came her dry response. “Because Caitlin usually just hangs out in _your_ bed and wears _your_ shirts. Maybe you wanna explain why her neck looks like a wrestling mat. Oh, and the panties hanging off your bedpost. Very classy… Nice touch.” 

At that, Harrison had choked down his next sip of coffee because fuck… He definitely remembered telling her to leave her underwear _on_ before leaving the room. And with a quick swallow of coffee that seemed too painful for someone who was well-versed in the world of drinking it, Harrison gulped, cleared his throat and tossed a sheepish glance toward his daughter to find her arms folded over her chest and her pretty little head cocked. Now might have been a good time to backpedal and convince her that he hadn’t gone anywhere near that bed last night but instead of saving face in a situation that had been derailed long before Jesse even opened her eyes this morning, Harrison asked, “Is she awake?”

“Not yet…” Jesse grimaced and finally managed the grab the handle of that coffee pot before supplying a quick, “The rooms yours, if you catch my meaning.”

“We didn’t do…” He started before thinking better of it and snapping his mouth shut. With a quick grunt, Harry set his mug down on the counter, tucked his hands in his front pockets and stalked for the corridor to head for his bedroom.

And just as Jesse had described it, Caitlin was sound asleep on _his_ bed, wearing one of his shirts, and flashing that line of hickeys Abe had sucked straight into her skin the night before. With a furrowed brow, Harrison moved forward a maneuvered his way toward her, being careful to step over the lacy dress that she tossed on the floor… And once his knees were bumping up against the mattress, he crossed his arms and stared down at Snow before letting out an exasperated huff. 

What was he supposed to do with her? Wake her up? Or maybe let her sleep off the savage hangover that was more than likely pounding through her head...

Now pinching the bridge of his nose, Harry shut his eyes and grinded out a rough, _“Snow.”_

She didn’t budge and there was something about that that had Harrison staring at the mess before him like a man who’d just been sucker punched in gut… In a way he had been, that is, if he could compare Caitlin to an unexpected blow that came out of nowhere in the form of a drunk phone call in the middle of the night. Blinking down at her, Harrison quickly dragged a hand over his face and glanced to the clock hanging on the wall above his bed to find it was barely pushing eight…

He could probably muster up enough common courtesy to let her sleep another two hours or so, even though he was dead tired himself, but a flash of pink in his peripheral vision had his eyes flicking toward his headboard and an all but burning flush instantly flaring through his neck. _Right_ … Jesse had mentioned a pair of panties hanging off his bedpost but for some reason, Harrison had imagined something a little more conservative than hot pink lace that left little to the imagination.

_Was that the type of thing she normally wore?_

Forcing himself to push a scratchy breath of air through his throat, he pitched forward and placed a brittle grip on her shoulder before giving her a good shake that was sure to snap her out of her slumber… And just like that, Caitlin was drawing in a sharp breath; her large eyes snapping wide open before finding Harrison through the dim lighting shooting through the room from the open doorway that lead into the corridor. Her gaze flitted about and seconds after registering her surroundings, she sat straight up which ended up knocking Harrison’s hand away and had him awkwardly fixing his arms across his chest.

 _“Hey…”_ He gruffed slowly, not entirely sure what he wanted to say now that she was awake but there was something about the bright pink panties dangling from his bedpost that had turned him into an illiterate mess. Even _if_ making the decision to rouse her felt like the right one, it was still awkward… “So, I… About last night. You…”

Harrison’s voice dropped somewhere in the back of his throat after seeing the way Snow’s already petrified expression froze; her face whitening as she pulled her knees to her chest and tucked the duvet around her legs as if she’d been aiming to build up a fortification against him and without thinking, he quickly took a step back. Maybe she didn’t remember calling him in the middle of the night and maybe she didn’t remember being a drunken mess and climbing into his bed like it was nobody’s business… All he knew was, that look she was giving him, made him feel like he was suddenly the antagonist rather than the hero who’d charged in and rescued her from the douchebag who sucked those bruises around her pretty little neck.

But who could blame her? She was sitting in _his_ bed, wearing _his_ clothes, her dress was crumpled on the floor like she’d been in a horny rush to jump out of it, and the underwear hanging on the bedpost wasn’t exactly anything to convince her that she _hadn’t_ been taken advantage of.

 _“We didn’t fuck...”_ He rushed out quickly, now white-knuckling around his own biceps as he tensed his shoulders and dipped his chin.

Caitlin blinked and much to his reassurance, he could see the anxiety melt away from her posture as if it had been something physical actually clinging to her and restricting the movement in her joints. “Oh…”

Yeah… Fucking oh.

“Do you…” He tried, taking in a deep breath and being sure to keep himself well out of reach as if that would make her feel more secure about being in his bed and sitting before him naked from the waist down. “Do you remember anything about last night?”

She shook her head and there was something about that answer that made his heart dive into the pit of his stomach… She didn’t remember anything and that was probably for the best, even if a small part of him _did_ want her to have some recollection of that slow ride home and their kiss after he’d parked the car. 

Harrison ducked his head and gave a quick nod but before he could be too disappointed he heard, _“Wait...”_ He lifted his gaze to find her chewing at the swell of her bottom lip and without looking at him, she said, “I remember _you_. I don’t…” She closed her eyes briefly as if to search her mind for flashes of memory from last night before fluttering her lids open and pinning him with dazzling stare that, much like last night, had him swimming. “I remember your voice... You were talking to me, _right?”_

He huffed through a playful scoff and shrugged before whispering “Did a lot of that, actually.”

“I don’t remember what you said, but…” She started, flicking her pretty eyes toward him and gracing him with a bright smile. “I remember it being _easy_. You being sweet, weren’t you?”

Harrison let out the breath of air he didn’t remember holding and quickly turned his gaze to the ground in order to stifle the grin that was threatening to split though his face. “You should get dressed…”

Braving a glance back on Snow, Harry finally let himself give her a brief smile and bent forward to swipe at the sweats she’d ignored last night before tossing them in her lap. “You can wear that if you want.”

_“Thanks.”_

“You’re welcome.”

And just like last night, he was heading out of his room to make his way for the cortex but before he could get anywhere, he heard, “Harrison?”

Crossing his arms, he turned back to Caitlin and was rewarded with one of those gorgeous smiles that crinkled the laughter lines around her big, bright eyes. He couldn’t help but to return the gesture and smile back… “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to say thanks.” She said. “Thanks for making sure I stayed out of trouble last night.”

“We’re a team, _right...?”_

“Right.”

And with that, Harrison gave her a wink and turned to stalk into the corridor.  



End file.
